ESPN scoop-machine Dan Wetzel reveals how he spent his Christmas vacation breaking big stories about the Michigan Wolverines.
STRAIGHT DOPE: ML and Marc are back in the studio with one of their favorite guests -- but before Dan Wetzel shares how he spent his holidays writing about outgoing Michigan Wolverine football coach Sherrone Moore and his replacement Kyle Whittingham, ML goes ham on Great Wolf Lodge.
Marc invited Dan on to talk about how his Christmas vacation got interrupted by the eruptions in Ann Arbor, but Dan observes that college sports reporters, like crime reporters in Chicago, never have slow news days.
Dan tells a tale about how he and a colleague broke a big story while one of them was whitewater rafting while hosting a bachelor's party. ML observes that they were lucky he was on the river, because phones aren't allowed at most bachelor parties.
Just about everyone Dan and ML knows has complained that the media sat on the Sherrone Moore affair story. The scribes explain WHY it can take time to report on what starts as a rumor.
What do the Sherrone Moore affair and Kwame Kilpatrick text message stories have in common? Get the bell ready -- it's not what you think!
Dan and ML discuss what it takes for a RESPONSIBLE reporter to feel they have enough information to publish a story. ML says social media "journalists" brag about the few stories they get right, while the mainstream media gets crucified for getting even one detail wrong.
Marc asks Dan about covering the portal, college football's version of speed dating, which ML says seems a lot more like the free agency period in professional sports. Dan explains how it works.
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GEEK OF THE WEEK: ML cites the journalism maxim "There's no excuse for kicking someone when they're down," then kicks the always down New York Jets for a controversy involving a kicker.
ROOM 7609: Marc suggests hair-tastic New Wave keyboard player Howard Jones to express our feelings about our ill colleagues: "Things Can Only Get Better." Please send us your suggestion for a song — along with a great story — to mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com
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FEEDBACK: Janet's question about who ML (and Shawn) consider REAL journalists triggers a spirited conversation, as well as a tribute to Pat "The Book" Caputo, the legendary 97.1 FM (The Ticket) sports talk show host and former Oakland Press sports columnist. We welcome all your questions, comments – and constructive criticism – at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com
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